Hero
by OnlyTheResults
Summary: James Ironwood sought to change the world. He sought to serve his kingdom and protect his friends. Piece by piece, sacrifice by sacrifice, Ironwood learns the meaning of being a hero. 'Understand, there's no sacrifice that I won't make. I'll risk it all to keep you safe. Trust me to be strong, I'll be your Hero. Just hold on.'
1. Chapter 1

The buzzing sound was perhaps the worst sound in the world. It echoed throughout his every fiber, down to his soul. It buzzed and buzzed and buzzed until the man it was pestering rose to smash it silent.

With one hand, James Ironwood smacked his alarm down and ceased its incessant buzzing. _I'm gonna kill the man that invented that thing..._ he thought with a groan as he rose from his bed and rubbed his eyes. It was six o'clock in the morning, right on the dot.

He rose and slumped forward, back bent and eyes drooped downwards in a tired fashion. Blinking once or twice to readjust his vision, he gazed over and looked at his familiar bed space. It was grey, as was almost all living quarters in Atlas's military and academy. He was used to it by now.

There was a white window curtain that loosely let some sun in, a single restroom with a plain white tiled shower and sink, along with the usual toiletries. It wasn't all that different from his dorm room back in Atlas. All except for the fact it was his and his alone. No more teammates sharing with him.

That simple fact was still so exhilarating for James. Enough so to bring him to rise up from his warm and comfortable sheets in order to get dressed.

Dressing in his new attire was equally satisfying. Clad in a white and blue uniform, James Ironwood looked at himself in the mirror. His black hair was swept towards the left, while his wide chest was emphasized with broad white that ran across him. At his neck where two pins, signifying his rank.

Lieutenant James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military made his way out of his dorm and towards the bases commemoration ceremony. The newly inducted officers would be receiving certificates as well as their postings. It was the final step from graduating as a Huntsman, in his eyes, regardless of his graduation from Atlas Academy a few months prior. Their officer program had ensured him a commission, especially with his level of talent.

"Good morning sir" one of the secretaries said. He was an intern who was probably trying to get some experience before applying to Atlas. He'd done the same, actually.

"Good morning" he politely replied. As he walked through the white hallways of the military base, he felt his scroll vibrate. He saw who it was a rolled his eyes, albeit without seriousness. _Dammit, how did he get this number _he thought with a sigh as he checked his texts.

A: Guess who

J: How did you get my number again? This one's not even public.

A: Not telling.

A: Are you coming tonight?

J: Yea, yea. I'll be there. Still don't see the point.

A: Really? We're celebrating your commission! You should cheer up more Jimmy.

J: It's James. Lieutenant James Ironwood now.

A: My apologies, Lieutenant Jimmy.

J: I hate you.

A: I know you do.

James couldn't help but crack a smile as he stuffed his scroll away into a coat pocket.

* * *

Ironwood felt incredibly uncomfortable. Here he was at an Atlesian bar wearing his dress uniform! It was all white with some blue tucked in. From black combat boots to his officers cap, James Ironwood looked completely out of place. _Just like Academy. Just great James! _he mentally betrayed himself as he awkwardly moved through the crowds of Atlesian partygoers. His large build and towering height didn't help him either.

His eyes scanned across the bar to see if there was anyone who could save him from the mess he'd created. Finally he saw the wave of a thin arm beckoning him towards the bar-top. Luckily it was a bit less crowded.

The arm belonged to a thin man wearing a brown coat with a yellow tie. His skin was brown and his eyes were green. He was even sporting a thin mustache, obviously proud of the fact.

"There you are James" he said as he welcomed the man to the table where they would be all meeting. Ironwood was handed a small drink as he rolled his eyes. James looked his friend up and down, admiring how even now his stupid smug look was plastered across his face

"It's lieutenant, actually, Arthur" he said as he took the drink and cracked a smile before sipping down some of the alcohol he was given.

"Ah, my apologies, _lieutenant_. But I would have you know that it's Doctor now" Watts said with a smug smirk. He had James this time. The thinner man took a sip of his drink. "I suppose it's actually both of our nights." Watts smirked like he had planned this all along. He probably had. Nobody ever said Arthur Watts didn't have a flair for self-importance.

"Smug prick" Ironwood said as he rolled his eyes and leaned back against the countertop. He felt a bit more at ease now.

Watts leaned back and swept a hand through his black hair and saw the arrival of another of their little group. "Heads up" he said as Ironwood looked and groaned at what he saw.

In his little suit and tie, Jacques Gele approached them. The mid-level SDC manager was approaching them with the dumbest smile on his face. "Arthur! James! Congratulations to the both of you."

Watts simply raised his glass and drank, forcing Ironwood to be the one to interact with Jacques. _You son of a bitch Arthur_ he thought as he turned to their mutual... acquaintance.

The man sat with them and quickly ordered a drink, something cheap no doubt. "Well, ask me!" he said with a grin.

Arthur sighed as he decided to humor him and gave James some slack. "Very well. What's got you so... riled up?" Watts asked with a wave of his hand. Jacques was positively beaming at this.

"I spoke to Mr. Schnee again. He's had me back to discuss business proposals twice this week. I'm thinking a promotion is due soon." He looked quite pleased with himself as he adjusted his clip-on tie and took hold of his cheap alcohol.

James gave Arthur a look with a lifted brow, only for the Doctor to respond with a shrug of his shoulder. The two really didn't know why Gele kept hanging out with them, even when they were still students.

Jacques was going on about his latest board meeting and how his proposal was being considered this time while Arthur simply rubbed his temples and kept his drink close. Ironwood suffered the brunt of Jacques's rambling.

"-and well, I'm fairly certain they Mr. Schnee will be inviting me personally to his charity gala next month and-" Jacques voice slowly trailed off as he saw something distantly behind Ironwood. "And..."

"And what, Jacques?" sighed an exasperated Ironwood. Watts raised a brow of curiosity, finally tuning back in. Having graduated the top of his class with his PhD gave him an expert ability to turn his ears off when he needed to. Helped with rambling professors or idiotic classmates.

"And... nothing. If you'll... excuse me..." Jacques said with a squeak as he licked his hand and swept it through his hair before stepping away from the counter top.

Watts began chuckling as he followed their 'friends' gaze. "What's so funny?" James questioned as he finished his glass.

"Oh nothing. It just appears a member of your team has arrived." Ironwood raised a brow and turned to the entrance to see Willow Schnee entering the bar, weapon at her hip and a sharp look on her face. Jacques had approached her and managed to get a conversation going as they walked. Most certainly using his 'friendship' with the young lieutenant to his advantage.

"It appears she has" Ironwood said simply, not knowing which of them to pity more. Willow for having to deal with Jacques, or Jacques for what Willow would eventually do if she got ticked off.

"I've got thirty lien on him not lasting five" Watts said with a smirk.

"I'll take this odds" James shot back. Arthur and James quickly returned to conversation now that Gele was preoccupied. Much to the officers surprise, Watts had been given an offer to work with the military. Something about people there being able to properly appreciate his genius and show him his due credit.

"Perhaps you'll be working for me someday, eh?" James joked only for Arthur to scoff and adjust his yellow tie.

"I'm afraid James that you'd never be able to understand the importance of my work" his voice drooled with friendly teasing lined with that aura of superiority that oozed out every time he spoke. James knew all about Arthur's little ego. Heard about it too from the poor bastards that had to be paired up with him in class.

"Oh, and why not?" Ironwood said, somewhat seriously. "You could do a real service to Atlas you know. Remember that little program you wrote when I was in my second year?"

"The miniature defense net? What of it? It was just a little test drive" he waved him off.

"Well, if you worked with the military then you could be able to apply newer and more advanced defense technology for our kingdom."

Watts rubbed his chin as he gave it a thought. "Perhaps..." The look on his face was the 'Thinky-Arthur' face as Willow called it once. It stuck on much to the good doctors annoyance.

Ironwood went in for the killing blow. "Besides, I could make sure you get your due credit! The people of Atlas would know all about the genius of Doctor Arthur Watts, defender of Atlas and Mantle, leader of the most advanced science corps on Remnant."

_There it is..._ Ironwood thought as he saw that all too familiar spark of fire in his green eyes. Watts practically salivated at the thought of such a high pedestal. "Well... the way you put it... perhaps I'll consider it."

Ironwood held back a smile. It would be good to have a familiar face in the military, now that his team was... graduated. _Broken up..._

It was a sad reality, having to rely on Arthur Watts to be his closest friend in his new career path. Arc wasn't close to any of them really and moved to Vale for work as soon as he could. Willow was well, Willow.

And... then there was her. Their leader.

Ironwood say Watt's eyes widen. The man quickly downed the rest of his drink and checked his watch. He looked back to Willow and saw her and Jacques were still speaking, having found their own table but even they could see the strain on Willow's face.

"You know, I think I ought to go check on our mutual friend. Save him from himself and all that. Besides, I think I'd like to keep my own life thank you very much."

Watts rose and handed James thirty lien for winning their bet and quickly walked away with a simple "Good luck."

James was confused until he turned his head and saw her.

_Ah shit _

Their team leader, Glynda Goodwitch has arrived for their "celebration" drinking and she had that look on her face.

Signing and also finishing his drink, Ironwood took a breath and stepped forward to talk to her. "Time to face the music James.

It was gonna be a long night.

* * *

**A/N:**

**The next big multichapter story is here. Hero will tell the story of James Ironwood, Arthur Watts, Jacques Gele and many others in their rise and fall.**

**This story will not be on a relative schedule like StB was. After finishing that I'll be separating what I'm writing based on what I want to write and not what I "need to write."**

**Chiefs-49'ers Super Bowl! Let's go Kansas! **

**As always, please leave a review or comment and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

"James."

"Glynda."

The noisy, crowded Atlesian bar seemed to have slowed down and settled on the two of them. Or at least that was how Ironwood felt. He still couldn't believe how Arthur had slipped out of dealing with her. _No wonder he says he's so smart..._ he thought bitterly.

"So..." he began again slowly. He was unsure of what to say next. She always had that damn effect on him. Whether it was as their team leader or in this casual conversation or as his... well... that ship had sailed apparently.

Glynda crossed her arms and shot him that look that brought them all in line. Their silence was awkward and nervous. Ironwood tried to look anywhere but at her. He caught a glance of Arthur giving him a smug look with a thumbs up.

"Listen, Glynda-" James reached out to her before she stopped his arm midway. She looked at him with a sorrowful face that lasted only mere moments.

"I'm moving to Vale" was all she said. Flatly, plainly. There was no hint of what they had before in her voice. It felt like a gut punch. But he was a soldier, a huntsman and an Atlesian Officer. He would not show his hurt.

"Why Vale?" he asked as he motioned for Glynda to sit down with him. She complied but did not take any alcohol. Ironwood poured out a shot and swung it up and down into him. He'd need it.

"I'm taking up a job posting with the Headmaster of Beacon. They need huntresses in the field. So I took it." Her voice was unapologetic and firm. There could be no changing Glynda Goodwitch's mind once she'd made a choice. But Ironwood felt he had a duty to try anyways.

"Come on Glynda... you could stay here, take up a position at Atlas... even join the military-" He was cut off by a snap of her finger.

"No James. I won't. I became a huntress to protect people. Not serve the government."

"Then what about us? What we had? You're really sure you want to throw that all away? Everything we've been through. I'd forgive everything if you just came back and-"

Glynda had enough. She rose from her seat as swiftly as she had sat down. James rose with her. "What we had, James? It's over. I thought I made that clear. We just... can't work..."

James grit his teeth and reached out towards her. He wished she wasn't doing this. To their team. To him. "That's great, Glynda. Real great. Just walking out on your friends and the people that lo-care about you."

Glynda stood steadfast and resolute. His words raced towards her and she deflected them without showing even a sign of weakness. She wouldn't blink. "Nicholas has already left. Willow never liked me to begin with. And you, James? What we had... I told you why. It's up to you now to get it through your head."

"So that's it then? You came here to rub it in that what we had is gone and that you're leaving me and my friends for Vale?" Ironwood couldn't hide the hurt in his voice this time. Glynda didn't look him in the eyes. She turned away before speaking again.

"No... I did come to congratulate you... and to tell you myself. You deserve that much at least. Take care of yourself James. And keep an eye on your so called friends. Men like them only care for themselves." With that, she stepped slowly away. "Congratulations, Lieutenant."

And with that she was gone. James silently slumped back into his seat. He looked at the half empty glass of liquor and without hesitation. Was that sadness in her voice? He figured he'd never know.

"You know, she does scare me a bit" a familiar voice said, returning to the table. Watts strutted back to his seat and sat down with a drink in his hand. "Here. Take this James. Looks like you'll need it."

Ironwood snatched the drink and downed it without question, taking it in and cringing a bit at its strength. "Brothers, what is this stuff?"

Arthur smirked and shrug his shoulders. "I'd tell you if I knew. The waitress said it was for those who needed to forget. So I got some for you. You can thank me now, by the way."

James groaned as he took another sip. "Why'd she do it? What we had..." Ironwood mumbled as Arthur put a tentative hand on his shoulder and patted it. He decided to stop drinking himself in case James needed a ride back. He looked over for Jacques but couldn't seem to find him or Willow.

"You know, I'm not the best with these kind of things, James." Watts rolled his eyes and ran a finger through his thin mustache. Green eyes scanned every nook and cranny of James face and demeanor. Perhaps he shouldn't have given him that drink. James snorted.

"Yea. Cause you're a loser Arthurrr"

Watts rolled his eyes. "Yes, graduating the top of my class as a PhD student and having my dissertation being distributed to major research groups in Atlas says 'loser.' Unbelievable." Arthur grit his teeth lightly. He wouldn't show it but even something said in the haze of alcohol made him bitter. All his work... just... recognized by this oaf of a friend as belonging to that of a 'loser.'

"You never hadd girlfriend" James countered, as if having a significant other made his accomplishments invalid. Arthur moved to lift Ironwood up and take him to his car and drive him back to his base but realized that the man was far heavier than him, even with his aura.

"As if it makes my greatness any less great. I'll have you know James I've courted many women. Majority of them were only interested in getting their grades up. At least they recognized me as the best."

Watts managed to call over some of the bouncers to help him carry Ironwood over to his car. He sat in the backseat with a seatbelt tucked around him. Watts made sure to check everything was still on James. "But nothing like her..." he trailed off with a snore.

"I have no idea what you even see in someone like her" he grunted as he shut the driver side door and turned on his car. "But I suppose that's what friends are for" Arthur sighed as he drove towards the military base in Atlas.

It was late at night and only the street lamps joined with his headlights guided his path on the roads. The streets were sleek and freshly paved with most advanced tech in Atlas surrounding it. Well, advanced by their standards. Arthur had already developed a small program to increase the accuracy of the holo-road signs by 32.56%. Oh and he had created a program during his masters that was still in use by the floating city. It was an automatic system that would stop your car if it detected a collision. Crash rates has gone done by a sharp 24.56% according to the council but his own calculations put it at 27.91%. At least in Atlas of course. Turns out they never applied it to Mantle, at least not fully.

Simple things of course. What angered him the most was the fact nobody gave a damn that he made it. Not even a peep in the news. It made him furious in fact. He had worked tirelessly and received no gratitude. It made him think about Ironwoods proposition.

_Perhaps... perhaps the military might not be such a bad choice. _He could imagine it now. Dr. Arthur Watts creating the newest defense program. A new platform for him to show the world who he was. For all that work to pay off with some appreciation for who he was.

He pulled upfront of the base, parking near the stairs that led to the civilian area. He sighed as he walked inside, fully knowing he wouldn't be able to carry James in. He walked briskly towards the front desk and cleared his throat. "Excuse me. I've a lieutenant James Ironwood to drop off. He's far too... large for someone of my stature. Would you go and fetch someone to bring him in?" He couldn't help but speak down to the lady in reception who grumbled something he couldn't hear. "It's by the left!" he called out to the men that were sent to bring James to his quarters.

Watching his friend be carried off safely, Arthur pilled at his fine collar uncomfortably. The man then slowly slid towards the exit until he stopped. He felt uncomfortable. Standing here in this lobby belonging to the army of the Atlesian elite. This sanctuary of titans. Even in all his fancy clothes he still felt so... out of place. _Shut up Arthur _he snapped at himself. _You worked too hard to get cold feet now. No one will remember your genius if you just slink away like before! You're smarter than anyone else in this world!_

He felt a surge of confidence. He was Atlesian now. Not that damn Mantle boy with a scholarship anymore. He took a breath and turned about face. He walked straight back to the receptionist and looked at her with a smug, smarmy face. He was superior. He was a genius and he was going to be appreciated.

"I do have one more question... where do I go to look into your... research careers?"

The smirk did not leave his face.

* * *

**A/N: HOW BOUT THOSE CHIEEEEEEFS?**


	3. Chapter 3

Ironwood found that his first month of military life was a lot like his first month of academy life. Lots of busywork, occasional lessons and constantly dealing with other people's bullshit. Plus plenty of meetings.

His first real assignment was to act as an attachment to the Colonel of the Third Brigade which was supposed to be involved in a Grimm breakthrough of Mantle exercise in the coming months. He was part of the planning staff for that as well as a multitude of different scenarios that involved things ranging from foreign invasion to martial law. His most recent meeting was over contingents of Fifth Platoon being transferred to east Mantle in preparation for war games with Vale by the end of the year.

Ironwood sighed as he looked over his papers for the day. His eyes glanced at the clock in his room and then back down to his papers. Had be known there was so paperwork involved in the military he might have just gone solo.

That wasn't to say he didn't see any action. Far from it in fact. He had led dozens of companies in Grimm-hunting excursions. James Ironwood was practically the talk of the town with the rate he volunteered to lead missions. A sort of following was born from that. The enlisted men looked up to him as a man who led the charge with Due Process in hand alongside them rather than from behind a planning desk.

Ironwood sighed as he looked over the various different plans. His continued work on the war games exercise was going well, but he had also volunteered to come up with situation report in regards to the rumbling related to potential faunus uprising. There were several communities outside of Mantle and Atlas of faunus who had refused to move to Menagerie, which in turn was currently demanding the legal right to live outside of the island. Ironwood understood their plight and had even made a recommendation that legislation be passed to accept the faunus's demands.

But alas, he was a soldier. And good soldiers followed orders. James Ironwood was a good soldier.

Ironwood sighed again as he drew up his part of the maneuvers. He and a couple of other lower officers were helping the Colonel with the entire task which was supposed to be presented in a week.

Then there was the big project.

The Vytal Festival. The 34th to be precise. Lieutenant Ironwood was one of the many cogs of the military that was preparing for the Vytal Festival. From security to tech updates and the bureaucratic mess that was bringing in all the foreign students that were participating. Especially those form Vacuo, where trying to find legal passports was a nightmare in of itself.

James wondered if Arthur was faring any better. It was a surprise to find out that his friend had actually taken his advice and joined the military. He'd never known Arthur Watts to listen to anyone but himself. Last time he'd checked, his friend had been complaining about his job for the Vytal Festival. Something about wasting his talents on a children's event.

Ironwood yawned and checked his watch. It was late in the evening and he supposed he'd earned a bit of a break. Rising from is seat the young officer looked around in his room. His scroll was there but he never used it much outside of communication or missions. He turned his eyes to his bed where Due Process was sitting. Ironwood smiled as he walked the short distance and sat down beside his weapon. Some questioned his decision to create a weapon for himself that was just a pistol without any melee capability.

James had always shrugged and said he'd use his fists if he needed to use a melee option. At once the man began to disassemble to pistol as he'd done time and time again. To a huntsman and soldier both, a well maintained weapon was paramount.

A short while later his weapon was well cleaned, oiled and reloaded. His huntsman license gave him the right to keep it loaded compared to non-huntsmen officers. He thumbed through the various kinds of dust rounds he had. Gravity dust was being slowly introduced into more and more things. Ironwood pounced on it as soon as he could. He'd even got Arthur to help him make Due Process and his second gun able to take gravity dust rounds.

The white gun slipped into its holster with ease while he went to work on cleaning the black one. Habeus Corpus was sleek and much easier to clean and maintain than Due Process he found. Perhaps there wasn't any actual difference in the two, but to him it felt like it was easier to maintain than the first.

When he was all finished up he holstered his second weapon and decided to leave the confines of his quarters to wander the base. Few people should have been out given the time of night. He preferred it that way. People were never his forte compared to his old teammates Nicholas Arc or Willow Schnee. He enjoyed his solitude and enjoyed the company of only a close few.

The young man sighed and looked out to the broken moon of Remnant. It's shattered pieces floating high above the celestial body itself. Ironwood wondered about what could have caused such destruction. Most of the smartest minds in Atlas believe that it was an asteroid striking into Remnant in its early days as a planet, launching pieces of rock into space, cooling and settling and eventually becoming their shattered moon.

James supposed they must be right... no doubt Arthur would agree with that assessment. But it just wasn't good enough for James. It was a question he didn't have an answer for.

He left the shattered moon to its devices and walked on.

Ironwood had walked for who knew how long. He opened his scroll to check the time and saw it was actually early in the morning, around two thirty. He sighed. Another night up too late. James saw there were no messages from

Glynda or even Nicholas. It hurt to see his former teammates not even acknowledge him. He felt bitter about Glynda leaving still but at least she came to say goodbye. Arc just left without a word after graduation. He was always at odds with James.

Besides the messages he got from Arthur that he mostly ignored(often just complaining about other people in his department) He was surprised to see a message from Willow. It was from a few hours ago.

W: Hello James

W: I just wanted to check on how you were doing. Especially after Glynda... did all of that. I know it was a rough breakup.

W: I'm here for you if you need to talk.

W: We might also see each other in the field sometime! I took on a few contracts! See you soon!

A thin shadow of a smile plastered Ironwood's face. For several weeks know he'd felt... abandoned. Excluding Arthur he felt that he had absolutely no one left, and he'd rather die before confiding that much into the hands of Arthur Watts. Oh he knew the man meant well but... by the gods he had loose lips sometimes.

But his closest friend, Willow Schnee, the first person to believe in him at Atlas Academy, in his life, was still there for him.

Things felt a bit more brighter that night.

That was until the blaring sound of klaxon broke out across the base. Until the red lights signaling a Grimm attack shone into every crevice of the base. Ironwood jumped lightly and his eye twitched.

_No sleep tonight I guess_ he thought, ultimately smirking. He'd be volunteering for this as per usual. The officer headed towards the operations room where he'd be heading out with a squad of men and women to fight off the Grimm threat.

On the way he thought of Arthur being jolted out of bed by the alarm.

James snickered at the thought of it. What he'd pay to see that.

* * *

The doctor was sleeping soundly in his bed. His dreams were active and filled with the adoration of the masses. He was their freedom from their miserable lives as he provided them technological marvels. First he would be given interviews for his work on the Vytal Festival and his ingenious application of gravity dust through a barometric tube allowing for the arena to actually manipulate gravity safely! The crowds loved it and so did the military.

He was snoring lightly, his feet covered by soft slippers and his eyes protected by eye-covers that were yellow like his tie. His pajamas were brown and beige.

Everything was peaceful. Until it wasn't. This was the third time since joining the military the klaxon had bolted him awake. Each time he ground his teeth to splinters in anger and irritation. A genius like him required ample sleep. Not to say that he was averse to staying up for hours on end in his new lab working on something. But now, especially after his PhD, he felt he'd earned some rest.

That was not to be. The doctor groaned as he found his yellow turtleneck sweater and white lab coat that he buttoned up quickly. His slippers were traded for a nice pair of brown shoes and long grey pants that were overlapped by his lab coat. His hands reached for his clearance card and he raced towards the research and science department.

Once there, he flashed his clearance badge and entered to find a few of his colleagues already present. Their director, Dr. Slate, a few others such as Dr. Valois and Dr. Polendina were already in presence.

The scientific minds of the Atlesian military often shared duties closely with intelligence and mission monitoring, making sure all the tech and surveillance was operating. Arthur found his way to the coffee machine and poured himself some of the dark black concoction to keep him alert for the long morning ahead.

He slithered to his seat and took a look at his monitors for the job ahead. The kind hearted redhead, Dr. Valois, greeted him in the way she always did, alongside Dr. Polendina. Watts mumbled a response back, not one to get to close to others. He didn't hate them yet but he certainly disliked them.

He did hate his boss Dr. Slate however.

Sighing he took a sip of his coffee and began looking through several files and surveillance feeds.

It was going to be a long, long morning

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter of Hero done. I hope you guys are enjoying this new series. We'll get into some battle scenes then work on doing some slice of life for Arthur and James before the big Vytal Festival Arc. See you guys then.**

**As for Skipping Through Beacon, I've been having difficulty finding motivation to finish the story. I promise you all I will. Just unsure of when.**

**As always, please please leave a comment and review with what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4

The manta flew hard and fast to reach its destination. The comms onboard were briefing the team for the fight ahead. Lieutenant James Ironwood had once again volunteered for active duty in the field, much to the joy of his men. It was a fast track towards a promotion too.

The men in the manta went through their various pre-battle rituals. All done in an effort to ready their nerves and to prepare themselves. They ranged from prayer to meditation to simple closing their eyes.

Ironwood looked over the men. They were not military huntsmen but enlisted men. Some might have not even had their aura's unlocked.

"Alright team" Ironwood began as he began to go over their briefing. "Command has picked up several large Grimm in the vicinity to a high value civilian and military colony. Our job is to clear them out. Intelligence says that civilian presence is minimal but it could get out of control fast. We might have freelance huntsmen assistance in the field as well. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The men shouted in unison as the Manta began approaching the landing zone. James pulled Due Process from his holster and gazed out. He could see even from this distance that Grimm of various shapes and sizes gathering. It seemed like it was close to a mountain. He-

"Hello? James? Can you hear me?"

_I thought I told Dr. Slate to keep him on the cameras strictly..._

His hand went to his comm-link. "Yes, Arthur?"

"Ah good! You can hear me! You don't know what I had to do for Dr. Pine to get you on the comms."

Ironwood put his face in his hands and sighed. He was about to face battle and Watts was pulling his leg? Ironwood decided to humor him. He knew Arthur meant well, despite his big head.

"Yes, Arthur?"

His voice took a low and serious tone. "I need you to do something for me in the field. You have field recording yes?"

James considered it for a moment. He didn't have any personally but he knew his men did. Each helmet had standard recording software. He'd ask for one of theirs after the mission, then.

"My men do. What for?"

Arthur didn't response immediately. "I'd like you to simply record any Grimm. One recording close up. Before you attack and during your attack."

James wondered why he'd need such recording when many other long range recordings of Grimm existed. It would be risky but... James knee that Watts had a track record of doing genuinely good things for the Kingdom. He figured that if his friend needed just a simple recording, then it wasn't too harmful.

"Sure. Fine. Can you hang up now?"

James could swear he _heard _Arthur's satisfied smirk. "Of course. Good luck, Lieutenant."

"And you, Doctor." The comms went dead and Ironwood returned to the metallic silence of the manta. The sound of snow beat against the hull of the ship. A moment of silence passed as the alarm blared and the interior went red.

"Forty seconds till touchdown!" the pilot said over the sound of the violent klaxon. She returned her gaze to flying the vehicle.

Ironwood thought silently. The sounds seemed to drown out. Small moments of introspection filled him. What he was doing. Where he was going. For some reason before battle he always thought of her. What Glynda would think if she was here to see him lead men into battle.

He could see her disappointed frown. Her lips slightly pursed upwards. Ironwood grit his teeth and shook his head. His hand flexed around the grip of his pistol. He needed to kill some Grimm. Even thousands of miles away, Glynda Goodwitch was doubting his ability to be a hero. To fight for people. To save lives.

Once again he would fight to prove her wrong.

He slammed the door with his fist, indicating it to open. They were about twenty seconds out, but he was a huntsman. He had a landing strategy and he would use it. James just needed to leave the cramped interior and flee from his thoughts.

He took a deep breath. The cold shot through him as if it was a lance through a boil. It was sharp and exhilarating and brought his mind back to the task at hand.

He pulled Habeas Corpus out of his other holster. James looked at his men and nodded. "See you groundside" was all he said before jumping out of the manta and barreling towards the snowy earth.

A thought flashed in his mind. _Or are you trying to convince yourself, James?_

He rushed towards the ground. The blackness of the Grimm came closer and closer. Ironwood saw the Manta following close as it descended but he was faster. The officer held his sleek ebony pistol tight and prepared to fire the dust round.

_Two seconds... _he thought as he took a breath and then fired at the ground. At once he was launched back into the air, scattering snow and rock and dirt into the air. Roaring Grimm who may not have noticed his descent were alerted now, charging towards the huntsman. Once he returned to the ground again he fired behind him. Flying forward he raised Due Process and unloaded a trio of bullets into a crowd of Beowulf's and Sabyr's that were shredded dissipated into thin black smoke. Ironwood slammed into the ground, using his heels to slow him down and then breaking into a roll. His aura protected him from the elements and ground as he came to a halt and looked back up. Grimm were everywhere. This was definitely an abnormal amount that was dangerously close to a settlement.

The Manta hit the ground and Ironwood grinned. This was what he lived for. The other soldiers came out shooting. The unlucky Grimm that were right by the Manta were annihilated in a brutal hail of lead. The ground squad rushed towards Ironwoods position all while gunning down Beowulf's and Sabyr's. Ironwood unleashed a furious torrent of pistol fire from both his weapons.

A large Ursa Alpha roared towards him, rushing forward with its massive paws. Ironwood expected this however and ran to meet the colossal beast head on. At the last moment he slid between its legs and fired upwards into its body. Gravity dust burst from Habeas Corpus through the Grimm's body and launched it up into the air to be taken down by a bullet to the skull from Due Process. The landing area was slowly being cleared out. The soldiers in his team were maintaining a steady pace. Ironwood made his way to his men, picking off smaller Grimm with Due Process as he holstered his second pistol.

"Corporal!" he shouted over the raging sounds of gunfire. The young, stocky man looked up and ran towards his superior officer. He was wearing the red color of a shock trooper. _Must be the 305th. _

"Yes sir!" he shouted back as the troopers started forming a perimeter. Their gunfire was driving the smaller Grimm back, but they could see rather large Ursai arriving from a large cave entrance nearby. It must have been where they were coming from.

"Once we have the landing zone clear, I want you to leave two men to keep our exit clear! Then the rest will follow me! We're flushing them out from their caves!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

The cave entrance was secured fairly swiftly. A half hour of battle was all it took to confine the Grimm to the cave entrance. The two troopers selected to guard the cave entrance were...

Ironwood didn't feel like the term soldier applied to them. He'd have to see about transferring them somewhere more... conducive to their skills. Or lack therefore. Perhaps one of the simulation bases.

Regardless, he held his pistol in hand and looked over his company of soldiers. "Ready?" he asked his men who nodded their affirmation.

"Alright, I'll take point and-"

He was cut off by the sound of his comms going off again. In annoyance he slammed his finger to his ear and yelled into the comms. "If this is you again Arthur, I'm going to shove my foot so far up your ass that-"

"Is that any way to talk to your partner?" a familiar voice said over the comms. Her soothing tone was silken, like a sweet, honeyed cup of tea that calmed you to your core.

"Willow" Ironwood suddenly said awkwardly. He'd just yelled at one of his best friends and partner back at Atlas thinking it was Watts.

"I uh, apologize for that and-" he was cut off by the soft and light laughter from her end of the comms. He'd forgotten how sweet her laughter was. It wasn't like Glynda and her more short laugh, but longer and more delicate. Except for the part where she snorted. That wasn't so sweet.

Shaking himself out of his moment of being stunned, he returned to task at hand. Knowing that Willow was the other huntress on site was a relief yes, but they had a job to do.

"What is your position?" he said quickly while he motioned his troops forward. Due Process was in his hand and his eyes scanned the cracks and crevices of the cave with sharp precision as he moved inward. He could hear the sound of Willow's glyphs tearing through Grimm as she spoke.

"Always so serious James! Has the military done away with the dork my partner was so soon?" she teased. Ironwood did not respond and mentally cringed at the thought of his younger self. Before he and Glynda got more intimate. Before he joined the military.

Willow did not dither on it for too long thankfully. "I'm in the east cavern. I'm sending my coordinates to your scroll. We should be close. I heard your gunfire from here."

"Copy that" Ironwood said as he ended their line of communication and checked his scroll. Her location was pulled up alongside her aura. It was still in the green which was good, and she truly was close by.

"Alright men. Double time! We're linking up with a huntress nearby! Let's move!"

* * *

Approaching Willow was not a particularly easy task. The deeper they went into the cave system the more Grimm they found. Centinels bored out from underneath the cold rock and tore through one of the troopers. Ironwood and the rest blasted them into oblivion but the fact remained. One casualty.

They took his dog tags and left, but not before Ironwood pulled the recording data from the dead soldiers helmet. _I hope it's worth it Arthur..._ Ironwood thought bitterly as he rose from the dead body.

Another soldier of Atlas had made the ultimate sacrifice. He turned back to his men. "Let's keep moving."

The rest of their journey was no less difficult. Sabyr's and Beowulves beset them from all sides. Another casualty was had and left only three soldiers left for Ironwood to lead.

Sweat dripped from his face as he held Due Process tightly. The strain of his fingers through his gloves looked like they were about to burst through. "Willow! We've reached a large chamber. Where are you?"

Before she could answer, a large Ursai Major and it's pack rose from the darkness of the chamber. Ironwood steadied himself before raising his voice into the comms. "Willow!"

Due Process was raised. The sound of rifles doing the same softly clicked behind him. Ironwood opened fire and so did his men. Bullets slammed into the creatures of darkness and a few died immediately, but the Major remained. Ironwood pulled out Habeas Corpus as well and began unloading. The Major slowed its pace because of the gravity dust rounds but it's pack kept racing. While easy to slay individually, a pack could and would overwhelm them.

Before they went further, a large shining knight burst through the heavy rock wall and ran its sword into the Major, killing it instantly. Racing from behind it with a sabre in hand was Willow Schnee. Slicing through the Grimm with grace and beauty. As if they were but slices of butter, the Grimm were cut away and reduced to black nothingness.

The soldiers under his command practically watched with awe as she stepped forth and leaped into the air, using her glyphs to unleash a hail of fire and ice that utterly destroyed the surviving Grimm.

Finally she landed in front of Ironwood who stood with a small smile on his face. Here his partner was jumping across a cave system and slaughtering Grimm. She looked like she was having the time of her life.

"James" she said, returning his smile with a sweet one of her own. Before he could speak she reached forth and tightly wrapped him in a large hug. "It's good to see you. I'm sorry about what happened between you and Glynda... if I only I was a better partner and teammate at the time."

The soldiers behind him snickered lightly at the sight of their commanding officer being hugged so tightly. After he returned the hug he spoke. "It's alright Willow. What's done is done. Besides I think we should really focus on the mission."

She sighed. Seeing that there was no room for even a little bit of enjoyment or personal talk. Willow figured as much. The old James Ironwood would always indulge her. Even in the thickest of battle she'd find time to talk.

But it seemed like that James Ironwood was gone. Only Lieutenant Ironwood was left in his place. "Well then. I guess we should keep moving." Her voice was now curt, losing much of its softness.

Ironwood knew he had messed up, however there was no time for that right now.

Moving further along the cave system they found less and less Grimm. _There should be a lot more than this..._ Ironwood thought as he kept walking, Due Process pointed dead ahead. "James?" he heard from his side as Willow spoke up. They had entered another wide chamber. This one was filled with dust crystals and steaming vents. They were in deep now.

"I think that-"

She didn't get time to finish her sentence when a deep rumble took their attention. With a furious roar a twin-headed King Tajitu erupted from the earth and swallowed up one of the soldiers as the rest of the party dived away.

Ironwood rolled to one side with Willow who was the first to get back up. Using one of her black glyphs she brought James back to his feet. "I was going to say I think this might be a lair of the King Tajitu!" She shouted as James pulled Habeas Corpus out of his holster and loaded fire dust rounds into it as well.

"What made you think that?" Ironwood said with a chuckle as the two raced towards the beast. Due Process was already firing at the creatures eyes. Willow summoned the lean knight once more behind her and raced with him as well.

"Well I was going to say the markings, since you never paid attention in Grimmology, but I guess I don't need that to know now! Catch you in a bit! Bet I can kill a head first!" Willow laughed out. The previous tension between them mellowed for what seemed to be the moment.

James could only imagine the sweet little smirk on her face as she used her glyphs to speed herself up and jump into the air with a furious cry.

She lunged towards the white head of the giant snake while Ironwood followed suit and shot himself towards the black headed snake.

Due Process and Habeas Corpus opened fire.

* * *

**A/N: Ironwood and Willow have reunited after graduation. Next chapter will be the conclusion of their battle with the King Tajitu and the reason why Watts wanted direct, close video footage of the Grimm. Then we can move onto the real meat of the first story arc!**

**Please make sure to leave a review with what you think! **


	5. Chapter 5

Bullets rained onto the Grimm from all angles. The remaining soldiers of Ironwoods squadron were firing non-stop at the King Taijitu, who's two vicious heads roared with rage and venom. It had tore apart one of the soldiers earlier in the fight, but now its focus was on its primary threat. The huntsman and huntress that were tearing into it.

Willow Schnee jumped into the air with a twirl and landed on one of her white glyphs that held her body in place. Launching forward with her curved saber she cut a bloody path through the thick layer of darkness of one of the Grimm's snake heads. It sliced through majority of it but didn't quite tear it off. Ironwood kept firing with his pistols, commanding his men to move to a better position.

With one swipe of its tail the King Tajitu destroyed half the remaining troops. "No!" James shouted and turned its fury onto the Grimm. He loaded an ice dust round and fired at the mangled neck of one of the heads of the creature. On impact it froze the wound and the following round blasted it to bits.

The survivor soldiers unloaded their machine rifles into the falling head and tore it to pieces. Their fire then focus on the writhing head that was left. It turned on them but found its path blocked by a summoned copy of an Ursa Major. The Grimm summon brought a heavy claw down onto the Snake Grimm's last head. It took a hit but escaped mostly unharmed.

James saw Willow straining, controlling the beast with her saber stabbed into the ground. "Go James!" she barked. He wanted to reach out to her and make sure she was alright, but they weren't in Atlas academy anymore. His desire to protect his best friend, his partner, had been so strong he had to be reminded of his duty.

I have a duty to my men first. He nodded to her and rallied his men, activating his semblance. His blue aura burned bright.

"With me! Covering fire each position! Let's go!" He ordered with a raised pistol, rushing forward and shooting as he did.

With his semblance, he could see the weakest points of his enemy. It have him deadeye precision. Which shots would wound, would kill or do the most damage.

This was his Semblance. Shoot to Thrill.

His eyes saw what others could not, the perfect weak point in the beasts defenses. When active he saw the weak points as orange. Shots to wound appeared as yellow while shots to kill as red. That way he could take out a target with maximum speed and efficiency. It made him a perfect military machine. Something he both felt proud of and afraid of.

"Focus Fire there!" he ordered, pointing out directly to his men where to shoot. Bullets burst out alongside their lieutenant into the creature causing it to howl in writhing pain and anger. Bullets pierced it's skin and the Tajitu snapped around to them. It lunged and one fang pierced the chest of another soldier who was then consumed by the Grimm.

He loaded fire dust rounds into Habeas Corpus and screamed vulgarities at the Grimm as it killed another one of his men. Flame burst against its flesh as it screeched and prepared to attack again. "Get ready! Get to cover!" Nobody knew who would be killed next. Then they heard the sound of their savior.

Willow herself began another attack with her saber and glyphs of ice and fire. Instead of remaining focused on the soldiers the creature turned on her. Willow had a smile on her face as she slid through the very air itself on her white glyphs, slashing back and forth causing a dozen cuts on its flesh.

"Sir! She's not following the plan!" A soldier shouted. Ironwood ordered his men to keep shooting and to hold position.

Willow was dodging tail swipes and fangs both, with a laugh. She jumped into the air and drove her blade down into the Tajitu's head. It screamed and shook, throwing stone all over the place. Willow swung herself underneath the snake but in its last desperate effort, the King Tajitu used all its momentum to come down on Willow. It's last head seemed to catch her, seemingly crushing her beneath!

"Willow!" James shouted and broke position to run to her, his men being left leaderless as their NCO's had all been killed earlier.

"Willow I'm coming!" He kept shouting as he jumped over rocks to find the head of the snake laying still on the ground. Then it started fading. With shock he saw Willow, bruised but alive. Her aura had shattered but it protected her enough to jab a blow right to the Grimm that killed it.

Though she looked weak and felt worse than ever, she had a smile. "Thanks for checking up on me partner..." she said. James smiled with relief until he saw her collapse. Then he ran to her.

"Willow! Willow! Someone get a medic up here now! That's an order!"

The survivors of the battle began rushing back and forth, the medics running up with a stretcher.

James pulled his passed out partner onto his lap until they arrived.

"It's gonna be alright Willow. It's going to be ok. I won't lose another teammate" he said, mostly to himself.

Willow was the one of the last people he had. He couldn't lose her here. Glynda left, so did Arc. Willow was al he had left from the academy.

Damn it all! If only I had helped her earlier!

He watched as the medics carried her back to the manta, gathered the dead and wounded.

They all departed. Ironwood prepared to write his report for the battle as soon as he arrived, swearing to visit her as soon as she was awake.

If she would wake up at all, that was.

* * *

I'm back baby. Chapter 5 of Hero is done. Chapter 6 will focus on Watts and then we'll move onto the Vytal Festival Arc!

See you next time!

OnlyTheResults


	6. Chapter 6

Back at the base James was watching as the stretchers carried the bodies of the dead from the mission away. Other stretchers carried the wounded to the hospital. The survivors poured out and were ordered to standby for further orders.

Ironwood himself got up eventually and began making his way towards his superiors office for his report. He'd written most of it on the manta ride back.

As he was walking back from the airfield silently his eyes caught a familiar sight. The rushing figure of Doctor Watts. Ironwood was in no mood to play his games at the moment.

"James! James!" he called out, rushing towards him with his bright white lab coat. He gave the scientist a death glare and pulled the recording he had asked for before the mission out of his back pocket. Then he shoved it into his chest.

"I hope it was worth it. That cost me three men."

Arthur took it and slipped it into his own coat pocket before trying to speak further. "James, I'm sorry, but-"

"But nothing!" James snapped at last, turning on his friend with anger. Then he calmed himself and rubbed his temples. "Listen. It's been a long night. Let's talk in the morning."

"Right... right..." Arthur mumbled and almost reached out to James but decided against it. He figured he'd probably be needed in the hospital.

* * *

"I should have you shot for this!" his superior shouted to James. The older man, not much older than forty five he would have guessed, was rubbing his temples in frustration.

The Colonel was a crotchety man with a bone to pick with his junior officers kept drilling into Ironwood. "Thirty two percent casualties, breaking position for a non-military unit, breaking protocol. What the hell were you thinking, lieutenant?"

James snapped to attention and tried to explain himself. "Sir. The objectives of the mission had been completed. At that point I saw it prudent to begin a medical evacuation of the wounded, including the non-military Huntress. Sir, she and I were partners at Atlas."

The Colonel grumbled and rubbed his temples in frustration again before blowing some air out. "Lieutenant, I understand that sometimes our huntsmen ranks have ties with former comrades at the academy, but you understand here and now you cannot put your personal feelings above your orders and your duty. Emotions can topple entire strategies!"

The Colonel rose and saluted to James, who repeated the gesture. "Dismissed. Go check on your men. Oh and James?"

"Yes sir?"

"I've accepted your request to transfer Private's Grif and Simmons to a low level training facility. Blood Gulch Outpost #1."

At least something went right today.

And like that, Ironwood found himself sitting nervously outside the base hospital waiting for news about both his wounded platoon men and Willow.

In the waiting room there were ether white walls with delicately designed blue patterns and the great symbol of Atlas, alongside the regimental insignia and colors.

He sighed and hung his head low. My fault. My fault those men are dead. If I hadn't let my emotions get the best of me I could have protected them all.

He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, wanting to slam them into the wall in sheer anger. His fury was dissipated by the smell of medical alcohol and the cool breeze of the emergency rooms.

Watts slipped out of the emergency room hallway and back into the main waiting room. James saw a glimpse of the same sleek white color behind the door just as it closed.

Instead of responding immediately, Arthur pulled out a packet of smokes. Silent like a shadow he flicked his lighter and lit one before handing another to James. Despite the lobby having a clear no smoking sign, Arthur didn't care. Even in the military he was still playing fast and loose with the rules.

"Figured you'd need it" he said as Ironwood smoked his cigarette as well. The two men just smoked in silence for a little while. There was noise that all seemed to blend together into a silence that was never silent.

Finally Arthur finished and stamped out his smoke before beckoning Ironwood into the emergency room. Janes followed suit and stamped his out too.

Inside, Arthur led him down a hallway in eerie silence. The little mumbles and the distracting noises of the lobby were surrendered to the total empty void that was the emergency room. The only sounds were the little squeaks of doors or rickety wheels on gurneys.

"Most of the wounded were fine," Watts began, breaking their gargantuan silence at last. "Only two more died. You might want to add that to your report. As for your friend."

Jame's blue eyes lit up like candles at the mention of Willow. "How is she?" he asked, only to be met with that weird smile Arthur seemed to have perfect.

"Given she was the only one besides you with aura there, she would probably be dead without it. Fractured ribs, a broken leg, internal bleeding all over the place. Give her a few days rest and her aura should take care of most of it after some light medical procedures."

Finally they stopped in front of a door that looked like every other door they'd already passed. Inside he could see a nurse checking something before leaving. She politely squeezed between the two military men and departed. The Atlesian Military often outsourced civilian nurses due to shortages.

"You should get some rest James. She'll be fine."

The lieutenant shook his head in disagreement. He promised he'd be by her side when she woke up. "I made a promise."

Arthur was tempted to groan and roll his eyes but resisted that cruel urge. "She won't be awake for a while. Listen, I'll let someone get you when she does. Don't make me pull rank on you now."

James lifted his eyebrows, half curious and the other half bemused. He pointed to the little lapel at his collar indicating his own rank.

Watts countered him by pointing to his own lapels. The Chief Medical Officer trumped lieutenant when it came to regimental health. "Right. Ok. Fine. I'll get some rest. Let me know when she's awake?"

Watts nodded, ushering Ironwood back out the emergency room. He pulled out another smoke and inhaled deeply.

* * *

Arthur Watts had perhaps the most modified laboratory of the entire regimental science team. He'd rerouted the controls to lights and air conditioning to his scroll the first week, closed his own computer systems from his superiors and added a mute function to the comms system to his room.

Most of these were never told to his superior Dr. Slate. And they never would.

Currently he was entering his little factory of technology. It's where most of his work was done. Multiple whirring computers, several monitors, glowing wires and modules scattered around. Inside he took out the recording James had brought him and slid it in.

Never trust a soldier's camera he thought with a sigh as he prepared to make the footage more... manageable. Remove its shakiness and such.

"Ah why fret" he told himself, flexing his fingers and bringing up his hands. Nimbly he flicked on his price and joy. A fully fledged sound system to provide the best musical experience when working.

"Hit it!"

With a snap of his fingers and a spin, he began dancing. Various clips from the combat footage came up on the monitors as he flicked them around with style.

He placed scene over scene, edited and zoomed in. All the while his favorite music was playing, his dancing continuing. Just a little bit more... and... there!

Watts snapped his fingers, cutting off the music, lithe digits remaining extended as he finished dancing. Then he flicked his head up and activated his semblance.

Virtual Insanity activated and he slowly began using it. At first it was just the computers. Then the sound system, the monitors. The scrolls and machinery from adjacent rooms and labs. Then people started showing up.

This was his Semblance. When Virtual Insanity was active Arthur could see the flow of information. Data. Electric power and more. This included the brain. He could see which way such data flowed. For example, he could observe the flow of information between the CCT Tower and his Scroll, delivering and sending signals.

When he focused intently he could open that information and actually observe the data that was flowing, though he couldn't do it with brain patterns. It wasn't a mind-reading Semblance after all.

He blocked out unnecessary 'flows', as he would call them, and focused solely on the 'flows' within his focused and edited video footage.

He scrolled through, skipping forward until he landed on the perfect frame. A Beowulf, reared up and ready to fight. Then he focused.

Come on. Come on... something... anything...

Arthur desperately wanted it to work. If it did... it would change science completely.

"Nothing... nothing! It was absolutely useless... wait..."

He pushed his semblance to its absolute limit. It burned his aura like fire, straining so hard he felt a nose bleed start. Watts groaned in pain and fell to his knees as his aura popped. Rising he wiped away the trickle of blood from his nose and wearily looked at his monitor.

There it was. The most faint signal. The most invisible flow. But it was there. "My god..." Arthur whispered. This... this change's everything...

There on the screen was a signal. A brain pattern indicating a flow of information and data. There was some conscious thought, some semblance of active intelligence.

Wait...

Watts felt a chill go down his spine as he noticed that the flow of data was one way. The Grimm was not emitting information, not in any sense. It was still a soulless beast. No, what truly terrified him was that something... or someone, was sending the Grimm information.

Arthur found that his throat was dry and his desire to explore the video more gone. Quickly he tried to get it off his screen, downloading it all to a thumb drive and removing any trace of it from his systems.

Watts slid it into his coat pocket, thought against it, then placed it in a drawer at a desk. What he saw... he had to look into it. Quietly. He didn't trust the imbeciles in his own department let alone anyone outside.

Arthur left his lab, nervous and jittery, but excited. He'd possibly discovered something. He just had to find out what. For now he had a meeting to get to.

* * *

Willow still wasn't awake.

It had been two days and she still wasn't awake. Ironwood has submersed himself in his work. Planning for the Vytal Festival was still going on and he wouldn't let Willow get in the way of his job. His orders.

But it still made his heart ache. That his partner at Atlas and his closest friend was lying comatose in a military cot while he was working like nothing was wrong. His current distraction was a staff meeting where the Colonel would be relaying the orders of the General about the Vytal Festival.

James was quiet compared to his peers. It was mostly officers, the small lot of them they were. The research team was there as well, all of them being heavily involved in making sure the tech involved with the Festival ran without a hitch.

Arthur was there as well, looking almost as miserable as himself. Almost. He had that look on his face, the one that James knew meant the doctor knew something everyone else didn't. A joke whose punchline everyone else has not got yet.

Present among the doctor's comrades was the ever pleasant Dr. Pietro Polendina, Pine and Valois and their ever competitive director, Dr. Nero Slate. James had heard plenty about him from Arthur at their shared lunches. Supposedly an unappreciative boss that was far from qualified for his position.

Of course this was from Arthur's description. One could rarely put stock in the veracity of any of his personal opinions on others. They were so often tinged with envy. No wonder his aura was as green as his eyes.

James had been perfectly blunt with his friend before, that Slate and the military had already recognized his talents by making him Chief Medical Officer over his peers. But this was Arthur Watts. He wouldn't be who he was if he didn't always have a slight to gnaw on, real or perceived.

"Attention!" a voice called of and all the men and women in the hall came to, stiff as boards.

"At ease" the Colonel said at his podium, earning a wave of relaxed officers in its wake. In the colonels hand was an unsealed letter sent from the higher ups to be read to them. The older man put on reading glasses and began speaking.

"Officers of the 312th Regimental Headquarters. In the coming weeks, we will be embarking in a great endeavor. The Vytal Festival will be hosted by Atlas and it is our duty to ensure all goes well. Atlas is committed to the highest of aspirations. In order to do so we must ensure security is to be of highest priority."

It seemed like a typical response from the high command, so James was barely paying attention. However the Colonel kept speaking much to everyone's surprise.

"Understanding that your regiment has had higher than usual casualties among officers yet remains the highest among volunteers to lead missions, it is with pride that we are fit to appoint one of the officers among this regiment to Head of Security for this most important event."

Now that got the crowd rustling. Soft, hushed whispers went between colleagues and friends. Everyone wondered what would happen next.

"The head of security for the Vytal Festival is henceforth bestowed upon Lieutenant James Ironwood, wherein upon acceptance to be promoted to the rank of Captain for his consistent, singular daring and aggressive combat behavior" The Colonel read out at last, his eyes as well as all eyes in the room, fell to him. Ironwood couldn't really believe what he'd heard.

A part of him felt a promotion coming. His daring raids on Grimm infested strongholds and his ability to understand the pulse of his men made him a sure pick. But head of Vytal Security? He'd have a whole department to manage...

But that would put you on a fast track to even further promotions.

That echoed in his head. He hadn't joined the military out of ambition, but still...

The thought was alluring. You can protect more people that way. You can build strategies and fight battles to protect Atlas. The people.

He began to walk towards the podium. Suddenly a slow wave of applause overtook him as others congratulated him.

"I accept, sir" was what James said to his superior.

The Colonel pulled out small pins to place upon his collar and officer's cap. "I thought you said you had a mind to have me shot?" Ironwood asked him under his breath.

"This wasn't my call, captain. The General likes your style far more than I do. You better prove him right, Captain Ironwood."

"I intend to," the newly promoted captain said with fiery determination. The Colonel had forced a challenge upon him and he would see it done.

When he was finished, the Colonel turned back to the crowd. James could see Arthur smirking as he clapped for him. James felt a slight worry, like that punchline he thought of earlier was about to come.

"Next, the regiment has also provided the military with the single best team of science and medical officers. Again at my request, the entire regimental science department is being transferred to the Special Division. Secondly, the Head of Operations for the technical and operational running of the Festival... are to be bestowed upon Chief Medical Officer Doctor Arthur Watts."

That little...

Arthur began to stride past his fellow officers and colleagues. The other scientists who had continually tried to be his friend did genuinely clap for him, though many others didn't. James could see Watts grind his teeth slightly as he ascended to Ironwood's right.

"Isn't this swell James? You and I are working together on such a grand project!"

"Yea... just swell..." he mumbled.

Then he went back to thinking about Willow.

* * *

The Vytal Festival Arc begins. Watts learns something new. Ironwood gains a promotion. Willow remains unconscious!

What will come next? Wait till next time!

Please leave a review/comment!

See you next time.


End file.
